1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bookbinding, and more specifically to a foam book which is bound in a concertina-type fashion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bookbinding has been a useful art for many centuries. After the advent of printing machines, book binding a widespread activity. There are numerous references both in the literature and in the patent archives detailing various bookbinding techniques. In a broad sense, binding techniques have been applied not only to create books, but also to retain loose-leaf papers and other materials. Numerous examples of these retainers exist in the patent literature.
Improvements in printing technology have allowed written pages to be adapted for many purposes, and have also allowed a greater variety of materials to be used for printing. A number of book binding techniques and materials have been provided in the patent literature, examples of which include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,189,932; 6,186,690; 5,219,437; 5,536,044; 5,499,847; and 6,257,622.
One drawback of typical paper books as well as many of the techniques used for binding them is that they often use water soluble components, which dissolve or disintegrate after a short period of immersion in water and which are difficult to clean. Children""s books have traditionally been made of large sheets of paper with hard or semi-hard paper-based covers. In addition to being water soluble, these books also possess sharp edges which, combined with the books"" hardness can make them unsuitable and potentially dangerous for small children. Younger children tend to learn about their world through their tactile senses, so it would be desirable to provide soft non-paper books with which they can physically play and gain tactile experience. In addition, it would be desirable to provide books with binding mechanisms made from a material that is water resistant, so a child can read and play with them while in the bath or by the poolside and so that they can be cleaned easily. One of the materials particularly suitable for this purpose is foam.
In addition to the above characteristics, it would also be desirable to provide a binding mechanism that is not only water resistant, but that also allows the book to be opened such that long images may be displayed across a plurality of pages and in different directions.
The present invention comprises a concertina-bound foam-based book that includes a plurality of foam pages. Each page includes a first edge and a second edge with the first edge opposite the second edge on each page. Each of the plurality of foam pages is bound along its first and second edges in a concertina fashion. The binding means is a water-resistant binding material such as foam, cloth, plastic, or nylon. When fully opened, the concertina-bound foam-based book opens as a string of pages and such that when closed, the pages of the concertina-bound foam-based book form a stack of pages. The binding means can cover at least a portion of each page of each pair of pages.
In another embodiment, each page may be formed of two pieces of foam pieced together in a sandwich-like manner, and where the binding means is fixedly attached between the two pieces of foam of each adjoining page in order to connect the adjoining pages. The binding material may be formed continuously across the plurality of pages that comprise the book.
In yet another embodiment, each page includes two faces, and at each page, a portion of the binding means is attached with the edge of one of the pieces of foam comprising each page such that the binding means forms a hinged connection where the edge of the piece transitions to the face of the page (typically a corner).
In a still further embodiment, each page includes two opposite faces, and the binding means on one side of a page is on the opposite face from the binding means on the other side of the page.
In another embodiment, each page is formed of three foam pieces sandwiched together with the two outermost foam pieces of each positioned to overlap and to be connected with the innermost piece of another page so that the pages are bound together.
The present invention also includes a method for making a concertina-bound foam-based book. In a first embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: providing a plurality of foam pages, each with a first and second edge with the first and second edges opposite each other on each page; and binding the foam pages along their edges in a concertina fashion with with a water-resistant binding means. The binding is performed such that when the book is fully opened, the concertina-bound foam-based book opens as a string of pages and such that when closed, the pages of the concertina-bound foam-based book form a stack of pages.
In a further embodiment of the method, the pages provided may be comprised of two pieces of foam assembled in a sandwich-like manner. The foam pages may be bound by a binding means fixedly attached between the two pieces of foam of each adjoining page in order to connect the adjoining pages.
In a still further embodiment, in the binding step, a portion of the binding means may be attached with the edge of one of the pieces of foam comprising each page such that the binding means forms a hinged connection where the edge of the piece transitions to the face of the page (generally a corner).
In yet another embodiment of the method of the present invention, in the binding step, the binding means is applied such that it the binding means on one side of a page is on the opposite face from the binding means on the other side of the page.
In a yet further embodiment of the method of the present invention, the pages provided and bound may be formed of three foam pieces pieced together in a sandwich-like manner. As such, the pieces include an innermost foam piece and two outermost foam pieces sandwiching the innermost foam piece. Each of the outermost foam pieces of each page are positioned such that they overlap and are fixedly connected with a portion of the innermost foam piece of another page, thus binding the pages together.